The Fish Story by Mary Lou Brooks

Transcription

1 Assessment Practice assess Taking this practice test will help you assess your knowledge of these skills and determine your readiness for the Unit Test. review After you take the practice test, your teacher can help you identify any standards you need to review. RL 3 Describe how a story s plot unfolds as well as how the characters respond as the plot moves toward a resolution. L 1c Correct shifts in pronoun person. L 2 Demonstrate command of punctuation. L 4b Use common roots and affixes as clues to the meaning of a word. Practice Test Take it at thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML6N DIRECTIONS Read this selection and answer the questions that follow. The Fish Story by Mary Lou Brooks I know what I m going to be when I grow up unemployed. Face it, Ernie, my dad always says. The way you mess up every job, you have a great future as a bum. He s probably right. My first summer job was cutting the neighbor s lawn. The mower got away from me and ate ten tomato plants. Another time, I forgot to close the windows when I washed Mr. Hammer s car. The weeds I pulled out of Mrs. Miller s garden turned out to be flowers. So I was really surprised when the Bensons asked me to look after their house while they were away on vacation. The Bensons are new on the block. I guess they hadn t heard about me yet. We re leaving on Monday, explained Mrs. Benson. You ll start on Tuesday. Just bring in the newspaper and the mail. That didn t sound too hard. Even I could probably handle this job. And feed Jaws once a day, Mrs. Benson added. Jaws? I gulped. Did they have a pet shark or something? Mrs. Benson laughed. That s what the twins named their goldfish. On Tuesday, I had baseball practice. So I was late getting to the Bensons. I put the mail and the newspaper on the hall table. Then I headed for the fishbowl. Jaws was floating on top of the water. I moaned. My first day on the job, and I killed the dumb fish! Not even the Army would want me now. That s what my dad would say after he stopped yelling. Now wait a minute, Ernie, I said to myself. This little fellow could still be alive. His eyes are open. He could be in a coma. I bent down very close to the water. Jaws! I yelled. It s me, Ernie, your babysitter. If you can hear me, blink once. He didn t. I touched him with my finger. He was cold, stiff, and very slimy. Face it, Ernie, I said out loud. This is one dead fish you have here. That night, I lay awake a long time trying to figure out why that dumb fish died. I didn t overfeed him. I never had a chance to feed him at all. When I finally fell asleep, I had a nightmare. The shark from Jaws was chasing me. He was wearing a six-shooter. You bumped off my kinfolk, he yelled. Draw! 182 unit 1: plot, conflict, and setting

2 I didn t tell my parents about Jaws. Every day, I went over to the Bensons as though nothing was wrong. I had until Sunday. That s when the Bensons were coming home. Why rush things? On Saturday, I remembered that Jaws was still in the fishbowl. I was about to toss him into the garbage. Suddenly, I had a great idea. I slipped Jaws into a baggie and ran to the nearest pet store. I d like another goldfish exactly like this one, I told the owner. Then I held up the baggie. The owner glared at me. Half an hour later, he was still glaring. That s how long it took to find a perfect match. I paid the owner and headed back to the Bensons house. When I got there, I cleaned the fishbowl and added fresh water. Soon, Jaws II was in his new home. But instead of swimming around, he just stared at me. What you did was wrong, those tiny black eyes seemed to say. The Bensons arrived home at 1:55 Sunday afternoon. I watched from my bedroom window as they piled out of their car. At 2:13, my mom called up the stairs. Ernie, she said, Mrs. Benson is here. Caught! I trudged down the stairs to face the music. Mrs. Benson was sitting at the kitchen table with my parents. Here s the boy behind the Great Goldfish Switch, she said. I felt like running. But Mrs. Benson put her arm around my shoulder. That was very thoughtful, Ernie, she said. Monday was so crazy I didn t have time to pick up another fish. I ve been dreading telling the twins that Jaws died. Thanks to you, I won t have to. She handed me money in an envelope. This is for house-sitting, she said. There s something extra for the new Jaws. You hear so many wild stories about kids these days. It s nice to know one who is responsible. Mom looked so proud I thought she might cry. But Dad had a funny look on his face. I think he was trying not to laugh. assessment practice 183

3 Reading Comprehension Use The Fish Story to answer questions The conflict, or problem, begins when Ernie A. forgets to feed Jaws B. mows over ten tomato plans C. finds Jaws floating on top of the water D. meets the Bensons when they return from vacation 2. What event happens first in the story? A. Ernie has a nightmare about the shark from the movie Jaws. B. Ernie runs to the pet store to buy a new fish. C. Ernie learns how the fish got his name. D. The Bensons go away for their vacation. 3. The setting of the story is A. the Bensons vacation home B. a neighborhood C. a fishing village D. a local pet store 4. In the climax, or turning point, of the story A. Ernie goes downstairs to see Mrs. Benson and face the music B. the new fish stares at Ernie C. Ernie dreams about the shark from Jaws D. the weeds Ernie pulled up turned out to be flowers 5. After Ernie buys the fish, he faces a new conflict because A. he feels guilty about replacing Jaws B. the new fish doesn t look like Jaws C. he is sorry he took the job at the Bensons D. he wants to keep the new fish for himself 6. In the beginning of the story, the reader learns that Ernie A. does not want to work when he grows up B. has messed up several jobs C. would like to go on a vacation D. loves to take care of fish 7. During what time of year does the story take place? A. Fall B. Spring C. Summer D. Winter 8. You can infer that Mrs. Benson dreads telling the twins that the goldfish died because they might A. refuse to believe her B. figure it out for themselves C. get upset at the news D. blame Ernie for its death 184

4 Assessment Practice 9. When does Ernie run to the pet store? A. When he sees the Bensons returning B. The day before the Bensons return C. As soon as he finds Jaws dead D. After Mrs. Benson pays him 10. Ernie s conflicts are resolved when A. he buys a new fish B. Mrs. Benson thanks him for replacing the fish C. the Bensons offer him a job D. he accepts the death of the fish 11. From Ernie s thoughts and feelings you can infer that he A. is proud of his reputation B. is unsure of himself C. wants to impress Mrs. Benson D. feels lucky to have a job SHORT CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE Write two or three sentences to answer each question. 13. What important events in the story lead up to Ernie s nightmare about the shark from the movie Jaws? 14. Identify two clues that show the story takes place in modern times. Write a paragraph to answer this question. 15. Describe the conflict Ernie feels in paragraphs 1 4. With what thoughts or choices does he struggle? 12. Which phrases in the story help you identify the order of events? A. Wait a minute, once a day, headed for B. On Tuesday, on Saturday at 2:13 C. Blink once, long time, nearest pet store D. Going to be coming home, getting up 185

5 Vocabulary Use context clues and your knowledge of synonyms to answer the following questions. 1. Which word is a synonym for dreading in paragraph 25? A. Anticipating B. Avoiding C. Fearing D. Planning 2. Which word is a synonym for slimy in paragraph 12? A. Bumpy B. Oily C. Spongy D. Squashy 3. Which word is synonym for glared in paragraph 18? A. Gawked B. Gazed C. Looked D. Scowled 4. Which word is a synonym for trudged in paragraph 22? A. Clumped B. Crept C. Galloped D. Stole Use context clues and your knowledge of base words and suffixes to answer the following questions. 5. What is the meaning of the word probably in paragraph 2? A. In a certain way B. Not at all C. In all likelihood D. At some point 6. What is the meaning of the word exactly in paragraph 17? A. In every way B. Greater than C. Somewhat D. Almost 7. What is the meaning of the word thoughtful in paragraph 25? A. Acting with a strong purpose B. Having many thoughts on a topic C. Performing a task carelessly D. Showing concern for others 8. What is the meaning of the word responsible in paragraph 26? A. Able to be relied upon B. Likely to give an answer C. Forced to carry out a duty D. Ready to react to suggestions 186

6 Assessment Practice Revising and Editing 1. What change, if any, should be made in the following sentence? The Smiths stayed in Orlando Florida, with their friends. A. Change Smiths to Smith s. B. Change friends to friends. C. Add a comma after Orlando. D. Make no change. 2. What change, if any, should be made in the following sentence? Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January A. Add a comma after 17. B. Put quotation marks around Boston. C. Add a comma after January. D. Make no change. 3. What is the BEST way to revise the following sentence? Big cars are nice they are expensive to own. A. Big cars are nice, they are expensive to own. B. Big cars are nice, but they are expensive to own. C. Big cars are nice, But they are expensive to own. D. Big cars are nice and they are expensive to own. 4. What is the BEST way to revise the following sentence? Some apples are red some apples are green. A. Some apples are red, some apples are green. B. Some apples are red, and, some apples are green. C. Some apples are red, and some apples are green. D. Some apples are red and green. 5. Which pair of pronouns completes the following sentences? No one wanted to spend time doing homework. The students wanted to leave time free for other things. A. their; his B. his; their C. his; his D. their; their 6. Which pair of pronouns completes the following sentences? In the math contest, everybody had to turn in answers. If a student didn t do this, test would be disqualified. A. her; her B. their; their C. her; their D. their; her 187